Didsbury, Alberta
Didsbury | |
|---|---|
Town | |
| Town of Didsbury | |
 Didsbury railway station | |
 | |
| Country |  Canada |
| Province |  Alberta |
| Region | Central Alberta |
| Census division | 6 |
| Municipal district | Mountain View County |
| Settled | 1894 |
| Incorporated | 1905 Village |
| 1906 Town | |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Rick Mousseau |
| • Governing body | Didsbury Town Council |
| • MP | Blake Richards |
| • MLA | Richard Marz |
| Area (2011)[2] | |
| • Total | 16.08 km2 (6.21 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1,037 m (3,402 ft) |
| Population (2011)[2] | |
| • Total | 4,957 |
| • Density | 308.2/km2 (798/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (MDT) |
| Postal code span | |
| Highways | Highway 2A Highway 582 |
| Waterway | Rosebud River |
| Website | Official website |
Didsbury is a town in central Alberta, Canada, at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It is located next to Alberta Highway 2A, near the Queen Elizabeth II Highway, Didsbury is within the Calgary-Edmonton corridor. Didsbury is approximately the half-way point between the cities of Calgary and Red Deer.
Didsbury is surrounded by Mountain View County, which has its municipal office located to the north of the town. The nearest neighbouring communities are the towns of Olds to the north and Carstairs to the south.
History
The town is named after the township of Didsbury, now a suburban area of Manchester, England.[4] The first settlers were Dutch Mennonites who left their homes in Pennsylvania and emigrated as United Empire Loyalists to Waterloo County, Ontario. They were granted the area around Didsbury in 1894 by the government of Sir John A. MacDonald.[5]
Original settlement in the area was sparse, and this in part explains the initial slow development of the town-site as a service centre. The first concern of the Mennonite settlers was to build a church; and the primary task of the settlers was to create farmsteads. Settlement prior to the post-1900 land rush was limited to the small group who came west in 1894.
1897 saw the arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway, which pushed forward the town's development. The CPR constructed a station in the town in 1904. Didsbury was incorporated as a village in 1905 and as a town on September 6, 1906.
Fires in 1914 and 1924 destroyed the early "boomtown" commercial streetscape and led to the passing by Town Council of a bylaw which required masonry construction for all new downtown commercial buildings. Many of these brick buildings stand today.
Demographics
In the 2011 Census, the Town of Didsbury had a population of 4,957 living in 1,923 of its 1,987 total dwellings, a 15.1% change from its 2006 adjusted population of 4,305. With a land area of 16.08 km2 (6.21 sq mi), it had a population density of 308.3/km2 (798.4/sq mi) in 2011.[2]
The population of the Town of Didsbury according to its 2008 municipal census is 4,599.[6]
In 2006, Didsbury had a population of 4,275 living in 1,726 dwellings, a 8.7% increase from 2001. The town has a land area of 5.47 km2 (2.11 sq mi) and a population density of 782.0/km2 (2,025/sq mi).[7]
Infrastructure
The town's recreational facilities include six parks, a golf course, aquatic centre, and a hockey rink. There is also a hospital and a Royal Canadian Mounted Police detachment serving the town and the surrounding area.
Didsbury has three schools that are under the jurisdiction of the Chinook's Edge School Division.
The Olds-Didsbury Airport, which is used primarily for small aircraft and general aviation, is located north of Didsbury along Highway 2A.
Media
The town is served by the Didsbury Review newspaper, which is part of the Great West Newspapers chain.[8]
Organizations
Organizations present in Didsbury include the Royal Canadian Army Cadets and the 1st Didsbury Scouts, Didsbury Jazzercise, as well as the Elks and Lions clubs.[citation needed]
See also
References
- ^ "Municipal Officials Search". Alberta Municipal Affairs. 2019-05-09. Retrieved 2021-10-01.
- ^ a b c "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2011 and 2006 censuses (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. 2012-02-08. Retrieved 2012-02-08.
- ^ "Alberta Private Sewage Systems 2009 Standard of Practice Handbook: Appendix A.3 Alberta Design Data (A.3.A. Alberta Climate Design Data by Town)" (PDF) (PDF). Safety Codes Council. January 2012. pp. 212–215 (PDF pages 226–229). Retrieved October 8, 2013.
- ^ Didsbury History
- ^ Kinette Club of Didsbury (1969). Echoes of an Era. Didsbury, Alberta: Didsbury Booster.
- ^ Alberta Municipal Affairs (2009-09-15). "Alberta 2009 Official Population List" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-09-14.
- ^ Statistics Canada (Census 2006). "Didsbury - Community Profile". Retrieved 2007-06-11.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|year=(help)CS1 maint: year (link) - ^ Didsbury Review Newspaper site
External links
Places adjacent to Didsbury, Alberta | |
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